Writing's On The Wall, the theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre, was released on Friday, with fans of its singer Sam Smith hailing it as an instant classic – though others were less complimentary. The song comes ahead of the global release of the film, once again starring Daniel Craig as 007, on November 6. Bond legend Roger Moore praised Smith on Twitter, but some critics commented disparagingly on Smith's prior claim that the song had taken him only 20 minutes to write. Grammy award-winner Smith is the first British male solo singer to sing a Bond theme since Tom Jones sang Thunderball in 1965. – AFP
Pope to release rock album
Pope Francis has been described as a rock star among religious leaders – and soon that will be true, literally, after announcing plans to release a rock album. The 78-year-old pontiff revealed he will be the lead vocalist on Wake Up!, a multilingual album featuring prayers and speeches from the Argentine-born pope, set to newly composed music. It will be released on November 27. While the rock approach is non-traditional, successive popes have recorded albums based on their words, often combined with chants or other devotional music. – AFP
Sharda excited to work with Rhys Meyers
Actress Pallavi Sharda, of Besharam fame, says she is happy to be teaming up with Bend It Like Beckham star Jonathan Rhys Meyers in an international project titled Shambhala. "He's a big Hollywood actor, so for me, he's like the biggest co-star that I've had," she said. Shooting is expected to begin soon in Manali, with Australian director Summer Nicks reportedly helming the project. Bollywood action star Akshay Kumar has also been linked to the project. – IANS
Country legend Kenny Rogers plans to retire
Country-music legend Kenny Rogers has announced that he will retire after a final tour, saying he felt "selfish" spending so much time away from his family. The 77-year-old singer, best known for hits Lady and The Gambler, says he hopes to travel with his young sons. "I'm going to do a big worldwide tour and it's going to be my last," Rogers told US TV network NBC's Today show, without revealing the dates. Rogers, who has been married five times, has twin 11-year-old sons. He said he would also release an album of Christmas songs this year. – AFP
Claire Danes gets Walk of Fame star
Actress Claire Danes, star of the TV drama Homeland, received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Thursday. "This is really cool," Danes, who plays CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the show, said during a brief ceremony. The 36-year-old rose to stardom in the 1990s as the teen star of TV show My So-Called Life, and hit the big screen with films such as Romeo + Juliet and The Hours. – AFP
France willing to pay €80m for painting
France said on Thursday it was willing to pay €80 million (Dh329m) to acquire one of the two Rembrandt paintings on sale from the Rothschild family for the Louvre museum. The two full-length portraits of a young couple, painted shortly before their wedding in 1634, have been owned by the wealthy banking family since the mid-19th century, and have rarely been seen in public. Culture minister Fleur Pellerin said the offer had been submitted and would be “exceptionally financed by the Bank of France”. However, there is competition – the Netherlands is hoping to buy both artworks, with the government footing half of the €160m bill, while the Rijksmuseum would raise the rest. – AFP
Cast of Jolie Pitt’s Cambodia film to be entirely local
Angelina Jolie has been in scouting locations in Cambodia for her next film, First They Killed My Father, which she is casting entirely with local talent. On Thursday, Jolie said she had spent the last week doing research to ensure the movie, about the deadly Khmer Rouge regime, is "accurate and faithful" to the 1970s events, before beginning shooting in Cambodia in November. Her 14-year-old Cambodia-born son, Maddox, is heavily involved in the movie, which is planned for release by Netflix late next year. Jolie Pitt's upcoming film, By the Sea, in which she co-stars with Brad Pitt, will be released November 13. – AP
